Doubling-machine



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. J. H. SHEARN. DOUBLING MACHINE.

No. 408,140. Patented July 30, 1889.

lflllllllllllIIIIIIIIIIIM [Eventful MAL v w/M c6 Mn ESSEX N. PETERS. whomm hen Washirlglon, n. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. H, SHEARN. DOUBLING MACHINE.

Patented July 30, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. Sl-IEARN, OF LEEDS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AND THE NONOTUOK SILK COMPANY, OF FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DOUBLING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,140, dated. July 30, 18819.

Application filed August 27, 1888. Serial No. 283,939. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: and loosely wound filaments weakens the Be it known that I, JOSEPH I-I. SHEARN, of thread, as it will have the resisting strength Leeds, in the county of Hampshire and Oomof the shorter filaments only. Moreover, it monwealth of Massachusetts, have invented has been found to be impracticable to use at 5 a new and useful Improvement in Doublingone time more than a limited number of the Machines, of which the following is a specisupply-bobbins containing the raw silk in fication, reference being had to the accomconnection with each ieceivingbobbin, as it panying drawings, forming part thereof. will be seen that the greater the number of My invention relates to machines for perbobbins used in a series the greater the num- IO forming the operation in the manufacture of her of drop-wires which must be used, thus thread from silk known as doubling, in causing the angles in filaments drawn from which the filaments of silk from a series of the extremities of the series to be still more bobbins are wound collectively upon a single acute and the strain exerted upon the filabobbin preparatoryto the spinning operation. ments to be 'still more unequal. In order,

I 5 In doubling-machines as ordinarily contherefore, to effect acombination of a greater structed the'series of bobbins containing the number of filaments-for example, forty raw silk are supported upon a series of stait has been necessary to first wind ten filationary pegs arranged in such manner that ments upon each of four receiving-bobbins, no two of the bobbins will lie in the same and then to rewindthe ten double groups of 20 vertical plane, and the filaments of silk are filaments from said four bobbins upon a fifth led upwardly from said bobbins through an receiving-bobbin,thus multiplying the numeye or other guiding means upon a traverseber of operations required, at a great expense bar and from thence to the i-eceivingbobbin. of time and labor.

Between the traverse-bar and said series of Another disadvantage incident to this 25 bobbins are usually located a series of dropmethod is that when one of these ten double wires, each of which wires is retained in an filaments breaks or the bobbin is emptied a upright position by one of the filaments, and knot has to be made with twenty filaments, which, upon being released by the breaking which knot forms an enlargement in the comof its filament or by the withdrawal of all of pleted thread which will not pass through the 0 the silk from one of the bobbins, actuates a eye of aneedle, and therebyimpairs the qual- 8c lever in such manner as to cause the stopity of the thread. It frequently happens, also, page of the receiving-bobbin to enable the that one of said ten double groups of filaends of the filament to be united. ments will become separated from the others It has been found that doubling-machines in such manner as to form a sort of travers- 5 constructed in this manner are open to very ing ring upon the receiving-bobbin, which, by serious objections. In the first place, as the its obstruction to the filaments composing the traverse-bar moves back and forth over a seremaining groups, causes many of the latter ries of bobbins whose filaments are led through to break and necessitates the removal of some the series of drop-wires an unequal strain or portion of the silk already wound upon the 40 tension on the series of filaments is caused receiving-bobbin in the form of waste, in orby such alternate movement of said bar, as der to find and reunite the ends of the broken the filaments at one extremity of the series filaments. are drawn upwardly at an acute angle, while It is the object of my invention to provide those that come directly under the traversea doubling-machine which will be so con- 45 bar guide are drawn substantially in a perstructed as to obviate all of the above-noted pendicular direction. Such unequal strain objections incident to existing machines causes some of the filaments to be wound that is to say, one in which the strain exerted upon the receiving-bobbin more loosely than upon the filaments as they are fed to the reothers, and when they are spun into thread ceiving-bobbin will be uniform throughout 50 the difference in the length of such closely the entire series, and which will enable any desired number of bobbins containing the raw silk to be used in connection with a single receiving-bobbin at one operation.

Another object is to increase the facility with which the ends o a broken filament can be found and reunited by the operator, where by a great saving in time in the operation of the machine is effected.

To these ends my invention consists in the doubling machine comprising a revolving bobbin-rack, revolving receiving-bobbin, automatic stop-motion devices, and other details, hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters designate like parts in the several figures, Figure 1 is an end elevation'of the machine, looking toward the right in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of aportion of the revolving rack and shipping-ring Fig. 4 is a similar View of the same parts after the shipping-ring has disconnected the power. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the revolving frame which carries the bobbin-rack. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a portion of the machine, taken upon line .90 as of Fig. 2 and looking toward the right in said figure.

The letters A A designate the two end pieces of the frame, which will be secured by screws or in any other convenient manner to the floor. Between said end pieces is supported a bed-piece B, which is located at a suitable distance above the floor to enable the operator to conveniently reach the parts carried upon said bed-piece, and for the same reason the latter preferably projects farther at the front than at the rear side of the frame, as shown. At the upper end of said end pieces A are bearings a, within which are mounted two horizontal and parallel shafts C D, carryingat one end corresponding gears c cZ, respectively, which gears mesh with each other. At its opposite end the shaft C will be provided with a suitable band-pulley, (not shown,) whereby motion can be transmitted to said shaft from a counter-shaft in the usual manner. A cross-piece E is located between said shafts C D, and is secured at its ends to the end pieces, as shown, and upon the upper side of said cross-piece, at equidistant points from the center thereof, are secured forwardly-proj ecting brackets 6, containing within their inner sides vertical grooves 6, open at the top and having at their front ends bearings e for the traverse-bar F. The grooves e in said brackets for-m bearings for the ends of the spindle G, which supports the receivingbobbin H, said spindle being free to revolve and also to move vertic lly in said bearings.

Upon spindle G is secured a drum g, which .normally rests by gravity upon the periphery of a disk-wheel (Z, mounted upon shaft .1), whereby the frictional engagement of the drum and said wheel will transmit the motion of shaft D to spindle G and bobbin H in a reverse direction.

Rigidly secured upon bed-piece B is a support I for the shipping-ring, which support I prefer to make in the form of four upwardlycurving spider-arms "Z, connected at their lower ends to a common base, and terminating at their upper ends in a horizontal face, as shown. Upon the horizontal faces of said spider-arms is supported the shipping-ring K, it being retained thereon in such manner as to have a limited revolving movement by screws 1", passing through slots in the ring into said arms. Said screws also permit a limited vertical movement of said ring between their heads and the arms t, for a purpose presently to be described.

At the front side of the machine the shipping-ring is provided with a suitable handle 76', by which itcan be turned manually. Upon the upper surface of the shipping-ring at frequent intervals, as shown, are lugs 70 which may be made integral with the ring, or may be secured thereto in any suitable manner, and which project a short distance beyond the inner surface of said ring. A revolving frame L (shown detached in Fig. 5 and preferably made in wheel form to lessen its weight) is mounted concentrically within the circle described by the shipping-rin g, the central hub of said frame having its bearing in the base of support I in such manner as to permit the frame to revolve freely in a horizontal plane. A series of vertical rods Z are mounted in the rim of said frame L in such manner a to barely clear the inner ends of the lugs k of the shipping-ring, and the upper surface of the rim of said frame occupies a slightly-lower plane than the lower surface of said lugs, so that the latter do not engage said rim. The bobbin-rack M is preferably composed of two or more rings having radially projecting therefrompegs m, which rings are supported upon standards m, secured at their lower ends to frame L, sleeves m upon said standards serving to separate said rings from each other, as shown in section in Fig. 2. The radial pegs upon said rings are preferably located in the same vertical plane, as shown, and are of a proper size to receive the usual bobbins containing raw silk, while the rings themselves are'of such diameter that when said bobbins are mounted upon said pegs the vertical rods Z on the frame will occupy a position substantially midway between the ends of said bobbins, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The bobbin-rack being thus rigidly secured to frame L will revolve with the latter in a horizontal plane beneath receivingbobbin H, which latter is located over the center of said rack. Upon each of the rods Z is mounted loosely an annulet Z, and the filament of raw silk from each of the bobbins carried by the bobbin-rack is led through the annulet upon one of the adjacent rods, thence upwardly through a stationary eye e upon beam E, and through the eye or other guide upon traverse-bar F to the receiving-bobbin. The rods Z thus co-operating with the up- IIO per and lower series of bobbins upon the rack are preferably of different heights, as shown, so that the angle described by each filament in passing from its bobbin to and through its annulet, and from thence to eye 6 is uniform with respect to all of the filaments.

The annulets Z are normally retained at the top of the rods Zby the draft exerted by the filaments, and said rods are provided with notches at their upper ends, as shown, to prevent the entire withdrawal of the annulets therefrom by such draft of the filaments. Whenever one of the filaments breaks, however, or one of the bobbins upon rack M is empty, its annulet falls by gravity to the bottom of its rod Z and effects the stoppage of the motion of the bobbin-rack, and also of the receivingbobbin H, as will be presently described.

A revolving movement is imparted to frame L and the bobbin-rack as follows: Rigidly secured to the hub of said frame L is a gearwheel Z and upon the inner end of a lever N, pivoted at it upon bed B, is a pinion n, turning in bearings in said lever and having connected thereto band-pulley 11 A belt 71 is led from said pulley n beneath two idler-pulleys n, mounted in bearings at the rear side of bed B, and thence around a pulley 0 upon shaft 0. The motion of said shaft C is thus transmitted by said belt to pulley n and pinion n, and by moving lever N to place said pinion in mesh with gear Z said motion is likewise communicated to frame L and the bobbin-rack. By such construction it is obvious that by moving the continuously-revolving pinion n into and out of engagement with gear Z by means of lever N frame L and the bobbin-rack can be almost instantly set in motion and as quickly caused to cease their movement. It is the office of shipping-ring K and the annulets Z to automatically cause such movement of said lever as to disengage said pinion from. the gear and effect the stoppage of the movement of frameL whenever by the breaking of a filament or the removal of all the silk from one of the bobbins one of said annulets is permitted to drop to the bottom of its rod Z, as above described. For this purpose the front end of lever N is extended slightly beyond the plane of the outer surface of ring K, and is provided at said front end with a pin n extending upwardly into the path of movement of handle 7a of the ring, whereby movement of the ring in one direction will, through the contact of its handle with said pin, operate said lever to disengage the pinion from the gear. As shown in Fig. 3, the shipping-ring is in the position which it occupies when the machine is in operation, one of the annulets Z, however, being represented as having just fallen to the bottom of its rod Z. With the continued movement of frame L said annulet is brought into contact with the lug k of the shipping-ring lying next before it, the space between the ends of lugs and rods Z being less than the thickness of the annulets, and by its engagement with said lug moves said ring to the position shown in Fig. 4, thereby, through handle 70 and pin a moving lever N to a position to disengage the pinion from the gear, as just described. As the annulet which thus causes the stoppage of the bobbin-rack may at the time be at the rear side of the frame, and thus render it desirable for the operator to manuallyimpart a partial revolution to frame L and said rack in order to more conveniently find and reunite the ends Of the broken filament or replace the empty bobbin with a full one, as the case may be, I make the slots k in the shipping-ring of sufficient length to permit said ring to move a greater distance than is necessary to operate lever N, as just described, and locate upon the lower side of said ring four inclines 10 adjacent to the four arms 2' of support I, so arranged that a slight additional movement imparted to the ring by means of its handle is will cause said inclines to co-operate with the horizontal faces of said arms 2' to elevate the ring sufficiently to permit the fallen annulet to pass beneath the projecting lugs k of the ring. The frame L and bobbin-rack can then be turned freely in either direction to bring the bobbin requiring attention directly before the operator.

As it is essential that the motion of the receiving-bobbin H be stopped with the stoppage of the movement of the bobbin -rack, I provide means whereby this result is also secured by the movement of the shipping-ring, as just described. Such means consist of the usual lever O, which in this instance is pivoted at 0 to beam E, and has the wedge-shaped arm 0, adapted to be moved beneath and to elevate drum 9 of spindle G, whereby it is released from its engagement with wheel (1 too of shaft D, and a vertical rock-shaft P, I

mounted in bearings on beam E and bed 13, respectively said shaft having ad j ustably secured thereon by suitable collars arms 1) p. The arm 19 of said rock-shaft engages the lower end of lever O, and the arm 19 engages a pin 76 on shipping-ring K, whereby the movement of said ring to operate lever N, as previously described, will also, through said rock-shaft, operate lever O, and throughthe latter raise drum gfrom wheel d an d stop the movement of receiving-bobbin H. Traversebar F will be given the usual reciprocating movement by any of the well-known mechanisms at present used for such purpose.

The operation of the machine thus constructed is as follows: Receiving-bobbin H is placed upon spindle G, and the latter is dropped into its bearings with its drum 9 resting upon wheel d of shaft D. The bobbins containing the raw silk are placed upon pegs m of the bobbin-rack, and thefilament of silk from each of said bobbins is led through the annulet Z upon one of the adjacent rods Z to and through eye 6 and from thence through the guide upon traverse-bar F to said receiving-bobbin. Lever N is then moved to place pinion n in mesh with gear Z and shaft O-is set in operation by the motion transmitted thereto from a suitably-arranged counter-sha t. Motion from said shaft 0 is transmitted through gears c d, shaft D, wheel d, and drum 9 to spindle G and bobbin H, and also through belt 01 pulley n pinion n, and gear Z to frame L and bobbin-rack M. The group of filaments are moved back and forth in front of the receiving-bobbin by the traverse-bar, and are wound upon said bobbin in the usual manner. The central location of eye 6 with respect to the radial pegs of the bobbin-rack causes the draft upon the filaments to be uniform with respect to all of the bobbins mounted upon said pegs and reduces the liability ofbreakage of the filaments to a minimum. Should one of the filaments break, however, or should all of the silk be withdrawn from one of the bobbins, its annulet Z immediately falls by gravity to the bottom of its rod In Fig. 1 I have represented one of the filaments as having just broken, and have shown its annulet in the act of falling, as just stated. As hereinbefore described, the fallen annulet is directly brought into contact with one of the lugs of the shipping-ring, and through the latter disengages pinion n and drum 9 from gear Z and wheel 01, respectively, thereby stopping the movement of the bobbin-rack and the receiving-bobbin. Should the bobbin-rack stop with the broken filamentor the empty bobbin at the rear side thereof, the operator imparts the slight additional movement to the shipping-ring necessary to raise the latter by means of its inclines k manually revolves the bobbin-rack a halfrevolution, and reunites the ends of the broken filament or replaces the empty bobbin with a full one. Lever N is then moved to restore pinion n to its engagement with gear Z carrying with it the shipping-ring through the engagement of its pin 12. with the handle of said ring. The weight of drum g upon the inclined upper edge of arm 0 of lever 0 returns said lever and rock-shaft P to their former positions, and the winding proceeds as before. I

It will be observed that the operations of reuniting the ends of a broken filament and replacing an empty bobbin with a full one can be very quickly performed, and that the machine can be kept in almost continuous operation. It will be observed, furthermore, that as the bobbin-rack can be made to hold bobbins equal to the greatest number of filaments which it may be desired to double or group together, the machine will perform at tively to those of the receiving-bobbin in such manner as to impart a slight twisting movement to the group of filaments as they pass to the receiving-bobbin, said filaments are more e'lfectually united in the group, so that if it should become necessary to partially unwind them from the receiving-bobbin to reach the ends of broken filament-s, or for any other purpose, they will not separate in such manner as to interfere with such unwinding movement.

The peg-holding rings and the standards of the bobbin-rack can be made integral with each other, if preferred, instead of utilizing the sleeves m to separate said rings, as shown; but I prefer to use the construction shown, as it enables each ring to be located at any desired height above frame L. by using longer or shorter sleeves.

It is obvious that various modifications of the details of construction herein shown and described can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a doubling-machine, the combination of the followinginstrumentalities, viz: aspindle adapted for carrying a receiving-bobbin, a revoluble frame carrying arack, which rack supports aseries of supply-bobbins, means, substantially as described, for revolving said spindle and frame, a series of vertical rods mounted upon said frame adjacent to said supply-bobbins, an annulet loosely mounted upon each of said rods, which annulets serve as guides for the filaments from said supplybobbins as they pass to the receiving-bobbin, and which are retained at or near the upper ends of the rods by said filaments, a shippingring located adjacent to and circumscribed about said frame, said shipping-ring being supported in such manner as to be capable of a limited revolving movement, and having a series of lugs projecting into the path of movement of said annulets when the latter are atthe bottom of their supporting-rods, a lever governing the application of power to said frame, whereby the latter is revolved, and intermediate connections, substantially as described, between said shipping-ring and said lever for disconnecting the power by the movement of said ring, whereby the descent of one of said annulets to the bottom of its red will effect the stoppage of the movement of the frame, substantially as set forth.

2. In a doubling-machine, a spindle adapted for carrying a receiving-bobbin, a revoluble frame supporting a series of supply-bobbins, means, substantially as described, for revolving said spindle and frame, releasing devices, substantially as described, for disconnecting the power from said spindle and also from said frame, a series of annulets held in an elevated position upon said frame by the filaments passing from said supply-bobbins to said receiving-bobbin, a shipping-ring, suitable intermediate connections between said ring and both of said power-releasing devices, whereby the latter are operated by the former, and a series of contact devices projecting from said ringover said frame to a point beneath the plane of revolution of said annulets, whereby, upon the release of either of said ann ulets by its filam cut, it will descend to a position to engage one of said contact de vices and impart movement to said shippingring, combined and operating substantially in the manner described. 1

3. Ina doubling-machine, a frame support ing at its upper end the revolving receiving bobbin H and having a bed, as B, located beneath said bobbin, shipping-rin g K, supported upon said bed in such manner as to have a limited revolving movement, and having the inwardly-projecting lugs k circular frame L, having a revolving movement upon said bed within said shipping-ring, the upper surface of said frame being located in a plane slightly below that of the lower surface of said lugs Z3 rods Z, mount-ed upon said frame and supporting loosely thereon annulets Z, bobbin-rack M, secured upon said frame and having pegs m projecting radially therefrom, gear Z secured to said frame, lever N, pivotally mounted upon said bed, said lever carrying at one end pinion n and pulley n intermediate connections between said lever and said shipping-ring, and a belt connecting said pulley n with a suitable source of power, combined and operating substantially as described.

4. In a doubling-machine, a frame supporting at its upper end revolving shaft D, carrying wheel cZ, spindle G, carrying receivingbobbin H and having drum g, resting by gravity upon the periphery of said wheel cZ, lever O, pivoted to said frame and having arm 0 adapted to be moved against said drum 9 to elevate the latter, roclc-shaft I, having an arm engaging said lever, revolving bobbinrack M, mounted upon said frame near the lower end of the latter, means for imparting motion to said rack, lever N, governing the means by which motion is transmitted to said bobbin-rack, shipping-ring K, intermediate connections between said ring and said lever N, and also between said ring and said rockshaft P, and intermediate connections, substantially as described, between said bobbin rack and said shipping-ring, whereby movement will be imparted to the latter from the former upon the breaking of a filament in its passage from one of the bobbins carried by said rack to the receiving-bobbin II, combin ed and operating substantially as set forth.

5. In a doubling-machine, support I, having arms '1', terminating in horizontal faces, in combination with shipping-ring K, ad just bly secured upon said arms by screws t, passing through slots kin said ring, said ring having the inclines 7;; upon its lower side adjacent to said arms, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a doubling-machine, support I, havin g arms t', shipping-ring K, adj ustably mounted upon said arms, frame-L, having a central hub revolubly supported upon said support I, said frame having the series of rods Z, provided with aunulets Z, means for revolving said frame, bobbin-rack M, secured to said frame and having pegs m radially projecting therefrom, and lugs projecting from said shipping-ring into the path of movement of said aunulets Z at the bottom of said rods Z, combined and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a doublingmachine, the combination, with the spindle adapted for carrying the receivingbobbin II, frame L, carrying bobbin-rack M, and shipping-ring K, said frame also carrying gear Z of shaft 0, carrying ban dpulley c, lever N, carrying at one end pinion n and pulley n and having at its opposite end pin of, engaging a portion of said shipping-ring, and belt 71 connecting said pulley c with pulley n substantially as described.

8. Ina doublingmachine, the combination, with revolving frame L, of bobbin-rack H, mounted thereon, said rack consisting of standards m, secured to said frame, a plurality of rin having radially-proj ectin g pegs m, supported upon said standards, an d. sleeves m located upon said standards between said rings, substantially as set forth.

9. In a doubling machine, a frame composed of end pieces AA, supporting between them bed l3 and united at their upper ends by cross-piece E, shafts C D, carrying intermeshing gears e (Z, mounted in bearings at the upper end of said frame, spindle G, hung in brackets projecting from said cross'piece E and having drum g resting by gravity upon a wheel (Z on said shaft D, frame L, mounted upon said bed B and carrying bobbin-rack M, pinion n, engaging a gear Z 011 said frame, pulley n connected with said pinion, and a belt connecting said pulley n with a pulley c on said shaft 0, substantially as described.

JOSEPH II. Sl-IEARN.

\Vitnesses:

F. O. SHEARN, J. ARTHUR WAINWRIGHT. 

